Getting it Right
by redroosterdawn
Summary: Summary: Harm and Mac, forever together, never ever apart
1. Chapter 1

Title: _**Getting it Right**_Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: who else is there

Spoiler: The last couple of shows of season ten

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended.

Summary: Harm and Mac, forever together, never ever apart

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part one

8 Apr 2005

Harm's Apartment

Harm was shaken to the core. As he was getting ready to leave the office for the day he received a disturbing phone call from Blacksburg Hospital. Mattie had been involved with an airplane accident.

Her instructor was trying to land the airplane they were flying in when a sudden snowstorm hit the area. They were hit by another airplane coming in for a landing at the same time. Everyone but Mattie had been killed. Mattie had suffered severe injuries and was now in a coma.

Since he had been left in charge when the General took half the staff to San Diego for a conference, he needed to find someone to leave in charge while he went to Blacksburg to check on Mattie.

He called Sturgis to tell him what happen and where he was going to be. He left Sturgis in charge of JAG. He made his way to the hospital to see Mattie. He found Tom half crazed. It wasn't long before he disappeared.

Harm hoped that it wasn't somewhere to find a bottle. He had worked so hard to get his life back together so that he could take care of Mattie. He and Mattie were finally doing okay with each other.

The doctors told him to go home. They didn't anticipate Mattie waking up anytime soon. They would call him if anything changed. He had left begrudgingly. He would be back. He didn't know whether or not he could trust Tom to stay sober and watched out for Mattie interest.

Visitors Officer's Quarters

San Diego, California

Mac was getting ready to meet up with a couple of new jags that had accompanied her to San Diego for a Jag conference. They were two young women who hoped to benefit their careers from working with Mac.

Unfortunately Lieutenant Sixhole was attending the conference with them too. He was a royal pain in the six. They had only been there one day and she already had to discipline him twice for lewd behavior towards her and the other women.

She was heading out the door when her phone rang. She wondered who it could be. She wasn't expecting a call from anyone. She hoped it wasn't the General. She was hoping to avoid him this evening. There was something about him she just didn't like.

"Sarah Mackenzie." said Mac as she answered the phone.

"Mac, it's me, Harm." replied Harm in a distant voice."What's wrong Harm." asked Mac. She could hear that something was wrong in his voice."I needed to hear your voice." he replied sullenly.

"Harm, you're scaring me." responded Mac anxiously."Mac ..... It's Mattie ..... she's been in an accident." replied Harm barely holding it together."Is she okay?" asked Mac."She was hurt pretty badly. The plane she was in hit another plane while it was attempting to land. She's in a coma. They don't know if she will wake up." sobbed Harm.

"I'll be on the next plane Harm." declared Mac.

"You don't have to Mac. There's nothing you can do. You should go to the party." argued Harm.

"I should be there with you Harm. The party means nothing to me. I'm sure the General can survive without me." rebutted Mac.

"Mac, you should stay and enjoy yourself. You can come back in the morning." argued Harm. There wasn't anything she could do. A few hours wouldn't matter one way or another."I won't be able to enjoy myself knowing that you are alone, in pain. It's 1900 hours here. I should be able to make it back by 0800 hours tomorrow." replied Mac."Thanks Mac." said Harm."It's what we do best Harm, we're always there for each other." offered Mac.

Before Mac left San Diego she found the General at the party. She informed the General that there had been an emergency back in Washington that she had to attend to. When the General asked her what it was she replied that Harm's ward had been in an airplane accident.

She told him about what happened. She excused herself saying that she was headed back to Washington and that she would see him in a few days. The General wanted her to stay. The meeting was very important and would benefit her if she stayed, but Mac declined.

Her place right now was with Harm, not socializing with people she didn't know or care about. Let the General deal with Vukobum. He seemed to like him. He had wondered why she needed to return to Washington.

She wasn't married to Rabb. Mattie wasn't her child. There was no immediate need for her to go. Mac wondered why he was giving her a hard time about this. He didn't need her there. It was just a conference for JAG officers to get together and discuss some interesting cases.

Finally she told him that over the nine years that they had worked together, they had always been there when the other one needed them. She had been there last year as a character witness when Harm was looking to become Mattie's guardian.

She arranged with the girl's father to let Harm take care of her until he was ready to resume his parental duties. Last winter Harm was there for her when she crashed into a tree. He stayed with her until she was back on her feet.

The General finally relented. Coates had told him all about their connection. They never let anyone get in between them. Even when they were dating others, they still had a special bond that no one could break.

The General was disappointed though. He had hoped to introduce her around to some old colleagues of his. They were setting up a new command to be located here in San Diego. A command comprised of Marines and Squids.

He wanted them to get to know the Colonel and understand why the CNO, SecNav, and he thought that the Colonel was the right person to take charge of this special new Command.

A few hours later Mac was on a plane back to Washington, back to Harm. As promised she was with Harm at the Blacksburg Hospital by 0800 hours the next morning. Tom hadn't returned. Harm was afraid that he had fallen off the wagon and was drunk.

Mac assured him that everything would be alright. She would be there for him. Mattie would be alright. She had him in her life now. She would recover and be fine. She had the Rabb lucky charm taking care of her.

Harm wasn't so sure. He felt that he used up most of what luck he had left when he ejected several years ago. They were lucky to survive two years ago in Paraguay when they were shot down. He didn't think he had any luck left.

5 May 2005

Mac's office

Jag Headquarters

Harm made the trip to Blacksburg everyday for two weeks. The General told him to take whatever time he needed. Mac went with him a couple times a week usually spending the weekend with him.

After about a month Mattie woke up. She was a little dispirited due to her new condition. She hadn't seen her father since she woke up. She was afraid that he hit the booze again. While she didn't like it, at least she had Harm.

And it appeared to her that she might have Mac in her life too. She had been spending a lot of time with Harm. They always came to the hospital together to see her. She was going to have to stay in the hospital for a few months to rehab before they would release her to Harm's care.

With Mattie out of the woods Harm returned to work. Fortunately the General sent Sturgis on all investigations which thrilled Sturgis to no end. He didn't like doing investigations. He preferred spending time in the courtroom.

Currently Harm was assigned to work with the new Lieutenant, the one he heard horror stories about. The Lieutenant was a womanizer and a snake charmer. His courtroom methods were questionable at best.

Harm had just returned from court. He had been co-counselor with the Vukovic on this case that lasted a week. It was a unique experience for Harm. Vukovic had done a fairly good job, but he had lost to Bud. Bud had done a great job. He walked over to Mac's office and sat down in one of her chairs.

"I thought you were kidding me about the snot nose Lieutenant. He doesn't take direction very well. I though he was John Kerry's step son, Flopper Junior. I don't think he had any idea what he was doing in there.

He kept switching his defense strategies. It was like watching a tennis match and I didn't know whether he was serving or defending. I didn't know what direction he was going. He and Singer would have made a good pair." sighed Harm.

"That's why I don't like him. He tries to win by deceiving people. He doesn't understand that he should be focusing on trying to find the truth. Everything else will take care of itself.

You know, like the Buxton case we tried several years back. As much as I thought he was guilty, your argument to get him acquitted was a valid one. He was young and inexperienced. He was trained to do a job as a fighter pilot.

He was on a razor edge, ready for action. For him taking out the enemy was a right of passage. But in the end his CO saw that and he was removed from flying because he lacked the proper discipline and restraint to fly combat missions.

He was a poor example for the other men to be their leader. Maybe with a little more maturity he would have made his way back to flying like you did. If he was willing to pay for his lack of discipline he might have found his way back to flying, a better officer and man.

But in the end a bad apple was removed from the Navy and the truth won out. I pray to God that the same thing happens to the Lieutenant." confirmed Mac.

"How did you get stuck with him anyway Mac? I would have thought the General would have put him with Sturgis or me. You know how anal retentive Sturgis can be. He would have kept him on the straight and narrow. He wouldn't be pulling any of these stunts with Sturgis." pondered Harm.

"The General thought he was too much like you. He needed a firm hand. He needed to learn discipline and military bearing." Mac replied sarcastically. At least that was what the General had told her.

"What did he think, that he was a puppy dog? Swat him on the nose a few times and he will behave? Guys like him don't respect women, at best they tolerate them until they can get the upper hand, they wear them down eventually.

He's more like Bugme. He likes to push the limit as much as he can. He figures sooner or later his rude behavior will be accepted as normal. They don't take no for an answer. I mean if you're looking for a drinking buddy, he's okay.

But sooner or later you have to grow up. Bugme never did. I don't think the Lieutenant has either. He needs to work with Sturgis for six months. Then when he gets the opportunity to work with a professional like you Mac, he'll appreciate the wonderful opportunity he has." replied Harm.

"Mic wasn't that bad Harm." she argued.

"No, he was even worse. Even when he won you over his behavior was boorish at best. I would hear you tell him to do something in a certain way and he would say okay and then he would go off and do it his own way. It got to the point you weren't yourself.

If he was a real man he would have given you the time you needed after you postponed the wedding. Instead it became all about him and what he wanted. He was afraid that he was going to lose you to me.

He didn't trust you. He couldn't except the fact that you cared for someone other than him. He didn't give you the time to recover from the experience of nearly losing your best friend. He never truly loved you.

Everyone was concerned about me after I was found, but sometimes people forget about the ones who almost lost a love one. The pain of almost losing someone doesn't just go away over night. It takes time." argued Harm.

"You were a prize to him. He only saw the beautiful woman, not the marine. He didn't want the total person. It was like Jordan, she loved me as the lawyer, but not as a fighter pilot. But at least she was honest about what she wanted.

It wasn't her goal to change me into someone I wasn't. In the end Mic would have taken you away from everything you knew and the people you love. And he would have expected you to stay home with the children." continued Harm.

"Why are we talking about Mic? I thought we were discussing the Lieutenant." replied Mac a little angry. How had this discussion suddenly become about her failed relationship?

"I'm sorry Mac. Some people just rub me the wrong way. The Lieutenant has the potential to be one of those people. He just reminds me too much of Mic particularly from what you've told me." moaned Harm.

"Well maybe we won't have to put up with him much longer." smiled Mac.

"We can only hope." smiled Harm.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: _**Getting it Right**_Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: who else is there

Spoiler: The last couple of shows of season ten

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended.

Summary: Harm and Mac, forever together, never ever apart

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part two the Announcement

9 May 2005

Conference Room

Jag Headquarters

The next week everyone was sitting around the table talking in the conference room waiting for the General to arrive. It was their scheduled weekly meeting when they gave updates on their current cases and received news ones.

Vukovic was pleased with himself. He had gotten his client off with some creative investigation or so he thought. He had shown everyone, including Jag's supposedly best lawyer, that he knew what he was doing. That he was good.

But then Bud burst his little bubble. He showed them a different scenario, a scenario that was more plausible. Vukovic was stunned. He had lost, but how? He had played his Ace card last. He should have won.

There wasn't time for Bud to come up with an answer to his winning play. He was left shaking his head as everyone congratulated Bud instead of him. He felt like hitting a wall with his fist, but he didn't.

"Attention on Deck!" yelled Bud when he saw the General walk into the room.

"As you were people. Before we get started today I have some good news that I would like to share with all of you." the General began as he handed Mac a folder with her new orders.

"The SecNav and CNO have decided to form a joint Marine/Navy legal service center on the West Coast. Colonel, you've been selected for command of the unit." he smiled with satisfaction that a marine would be the first one to be heading this special unit.

"I don't know what to say Sir." replied a stunned Mac as she accepted his congratulations.

A command position was a Captain's billet or full Colonel's billet. While she might have the required time in grade for a promotion, she was shy a few years of service for said promotion. She didn't understand how it was possible that she got the billet.

"It's Joint Legal Service Center, Southwest. You'll be stationed in San Diego, Colonel. It should lead to having eagles pinned on your shoulders in the next year or two." he clarified.

"San Diego, Sir?" she asked in disbelief. That would mean she would be three thousand miles away from her friends, friends whom she considered her family, away from Harm. What was she going to do?

"It's only five hours away by plane Mac. You can work on that tan you said you have been missing out on the last few years." smiled Harm. He was happy for her, at least he said that to himself, but in all reality his heart was beginning to break.

It had taken them almost a year to finally get back to where they were before the Singer and Paraguay fiasco. They were getting very close again. They were happy, especially now that Mattie was awake.

"I wouldn't be making my vacation plans just yet, Commander. I have a new assignment for you too." He grinned as he handed Harm his new orders. He gave him a moment to skim the orders and digest it.

"You have been assigned the Force Judge Advocate of Naval Forces Europe. You will be stationed in London, Commander. It's a Captain's billet you know. And you Commander are very fortunate. The Captains board just concluded last week. You have been selected.

You have four days to get ready to move and two days travel allowance. Congratulations Captain Rabb." completed the General as he shook Harm's hand. Everyone else in the room clapped theirs in appreciation.

"Thank you Sir." replied Harm as he stood there stunned. He had thought his career was basically over after Singer's death and his resignation to find Mac in Paraguay. He felt he would be lucky to put his twenty years in and be allowed to retire. Now he didn't know what to think.

His life had once again taken a major U-turn. He was once again on top of the world. He should be so happy. Everything was falling into place, that is everything except Mac. She was not going with him, if anything she was going in the another direction.

What was he going to do now? He had never suffered as much pain in his life as when he was separated from her. The last time was the worse. He was in the CIA and she was with Webb. He wanted to kill him.

"You're going to be the Navy's senior lawyer in Europe, Commander ... I mean Captain. Your new position is a major stepping stone to becoming the JAG." chirped Bud. He couldn't wait to get back to his office and call Harriet with the good news.

"I have no intention of resigning just yet, Mister Roberts. I happen to like this job. I'll be keeping it for a little while longer." the General bellowed.

"Yes sir!" Bud backtracked quickly realizing that this wasn't the proper time or place for him to have diarrhea of the mouth.

"You both are authorized to choose your own staff. There is no one here at Headquarters that is off limits. All I ask is that you don't duke it out in public. Let me know whom you're taking. Dismissed." ordered the General.

Mac's office

Harm and Mac were walking back to Mac's office after the weekly staff meeting. To say they were shock about the news was an understatement. For the fourth time in nine years they were going to be separated.

Unfortunately this time it didn't appear likely that they would ever be coming back to each other. Their career paths had finally come to the fork in the road where they would be taking separate roads, but why did it have be so severe?

While they were both happy with the new assignments and career advancements they both had received, it meant the end of them as a partnership and any opportunity for them to be together as a couple.

"Oh my God Harm, what just happened in there?" asked a shaken Mac.

"The General exploded a couple of concussion bombs in there and the world as you know it got blown away." he replied.

"And your vision of the world didn't, Captain?" she asked in disbelief.

"Captain, I like the way you say that. Don't worry Mac, you'll get your promotion, it's a sure thing. This new command will make your career." he smiled one of his flyboy ones.

"Don't be condescending to me Harm. It has never been one of your finer traits. This is going to be very hard." she wailed.

"I was only trying to be supportive Mac. We both knew that someday something like this might happen. It was only a matter of time." he replied.

"What? Your elevation to greatness?" she bantered.

"Well yes, but no Mac. We've been together here for nine years, I've been here almost ten years. It was long overdue that they would try to separate us. Wasn't that the whole point of Lindsey's report.

We might not have liked what he had to say in it, but there was more than a grain of truth to it. I think it's one of the reasons we all have had trouble with Sturgis last year. There was a sense of jealousy, adversity, and resentment.

Some of us know how to deal with it, but I don't think Sturgis ever had to deal with before. He's always been an overachiever. He's always played it safe and by the book. He took a big career hit two years ago.

First, when the Korean sailor accused him of racism. And then later on when Bud screwed up handling his defense. He blamed Bud, Tiner, and me. He didn't accept any responsibility for what happen.

To Sturgis he was trying to show his confidence in Bud after his accident, but he believed that we all let him down. I don't think he has ever had to deal with adversity before then.

I know the Admiral tried to reassure him that it wasn't that big a deal. Hell maybe that's one of the reason he left Sturgis in charge. We have all become very close. It does make it harder for good order and discipline.

Look at what happen when Bud fell asleep in the courtroom. I was ready to blame Singer when Bud was the one who screwed up. Why? Because I like Bud and I didn't like the way she did things. I lost objectivity.

I also lost my ability to think clearly because Sturgis called you as a witness. You were being objective, I wasn't. I still don't like the idea that you're going to be six thousands miles away." he moaned.

"That may be true Harm, but it still would have been nice to have some advance notice as to what they were planning. I don't like being caught by surprise. I like order and discipline in my life.

I hate making life changing decisions on a moment's notice. Though the last time this happen to me was nine years ago and I met you. You were a pleasant surprise that I found that I could live with." she sighed in remembrance.

"I agree Mac, there are a lot of decisions that we need to be made, and I'm not talking about whom we want on our staff." he replied.

"We have three days, Harm. We're going to have to get together and talk." she offered knowing what he meant.

"I'll cook you dinner tomorrow night." offered Harm.

"Sounds good to me." Mac replied.

Vukovic had been informed that the General wanted to see him, but before he went in to see the General he wanted to gather some Intel. He hated being unprepared when he had to talk to the General. Bad things seemed to happen when he didn't know what was going on.

He greeted Jen outside the General's office. If anyone knew what the General wanted it would be her. She had a way of knowing everything. She liked to keep the General on his toes. It was a test of wills for her.

"Do you know what the General wants to see me about, Coates?" flirted Vic looking for info.

"Haven't a clue, Sir. He has a tendency not to tell me things until I need to know." replied Jen.

"Have you decided which billet you want to shoot for Sir? That is do you want to go with the Colonel or the Captain?" asked Jen.

"I find the Colonel a little easier to work with." replied Vic.

"Why's that Sir. Doesn't the Captain let you do things your way?" she snickered.

She had heard from Mac and other women officers that Vic was a charmer. His main goal was to get them into bed. He would do anything to advance his career.

"You're probably not the only one who would rather work with the Colonel, Sir." continued Jen.

"You can't get away with anything with the Captain. He's strictly by the book, the truth is the only thing that matters. He puts the truth ahead of everything including his clients. The Colonel likes to win." flirted Vic.

"You might want to believe that Sir, but the Captain is the one who has the reputation of doing just about anything to win. Some of his closing arguments are legendary. He has beaten the odds more times than anyone else.

In fact it was said that the former SecNav would assign the Captain to whichever side of a case that would benefit the Navy the most. He's a magician Sir. Where as the Colonel is known to be the best by the book lawyer in the Military." she argued.

"I didn't know that Coates. Anyway what about you? Who have you chosen to go with?" hoping that it would be with the Colonel. Jen was a very beautiful woman. He would enjoy playing house with her.

"No where Sir, I guess I'm going to stay here. It's what I know how to do. It's what I'm comfortable doing." she replied.

"Come on Coates, take a chance. You should try something new? You like them both don't you?" he asked curiously. More info time.

"They're both special to me Sir. They've both help me so much. The Captain kept me out of the brig a few years ago. The Colonel took me in during Christmas time. She got me the billet here." she replied.

"I'll let the General know you're here Sir."

Vukovic went into the General's office and stood at attention.

"Lieutenant Vukovic reporting as ordered Sir."

"Have a seat Lieutenant. I'm sending you to Parris Island. You're to handle a very sensitive case concerning a young underage marine recruit who has gone AWOL twice. I expect that you will handle it properly in due fashion." replied the General.

'Great, another case involving Marines. Why does he stick me with all these cases? I hate Marines. They're too stupid to do things right.' he sighed.

"Is there anything I need to know Sir?" he asked.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out when you get there. Don't dawdle Lieutenant. I expect to see you back here within forty eight hours.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: _**Getting it Right**_Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: who else is there

Spoiler: The last couple of shows of season ten

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended.

Summary: Harm and Mac, forever together, never ever apart

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part three Come with me

Conference Room

Harm decided to go after Bud first for his staff. He felt it important to fill the top levels of his new organization before filling the others. There were only a few good people for those positions. He thought Bud was one of them.

He had known Bud for a long time. He knew Bud's capabilities. Bud was also very loyal, something a person in command needed from his people. Bud had overcome a lot to stay in the Navy.

The Admiral had rewarded him by getting him a promotion to Lieutenant Commander, a promotion he wasn't expected to get. But what it did was give Bud the opportunity to have a career in the Navy. He might be able to get his twenty in.

Harm wanted to insure that Bud's career continued to move forward. It was important to keep the momentum going forward. Having him as his deputy would insure that. It would even give Bud the opportunity of reaching Commander.

"Good afternoon Captain, you wanted to see me Sir." greeted Bud.

"Have a seat Bud, how's the family?" asked Harm.

"They're fine, sir. You and the Colonel should come over and visit before you leave. Harriet and AJ miss you both. Jimmy K is almost running now. He's driving Harriet nuts. The twins are growing so fast Sir." Bud rambled on.

"I'll try to do that Bud, but I can't promise you anything. I have a lot to do and not enough time to do it. How about you Bud? Is your leg giving you any more trouble?" asked Harm.

He felt like chuckling. There were times when it seem Bud had matured beyond his years, but at other times he was still the naive bumbling computer geek he was when he first arrived at JAG.

"Have you ever been to London Bud? It's a very nice city with a lot of history." asked Harm.

"No Sir. Though Harriet has mentioned it to me many times her desire to go there some day." replied Bud.

"You know Sir, everyone is going to miss you Sir. JAG isn't the same when you're not around." Bud continued to ramble on.

"How would you like to go to London with me, Bud? I need an Assistant Force Judge Advocate, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have for the position than you." smiled Harm as he offered Bud the opportunity of a life time.

"I know I should think about it Sir, but yes, I would love to accept your offer, Commander ..... I mean Captain." replied Bud cheerfully.

"Well I think you should talk to Harriet first. Women like to be included in all major life changing decisions that affect them." chuckled Harm. He had learned that from Jordan who hadn't been please to learn that he was returning to the fleet to fly again.

"You're right Sir, but Harriet has always wanted to go to London. It'd be a great for the kids." he exclaimed happily.

"It would be a great career move Bud." commented Harm as they shook hands.

"Thank you sir." grinned Bud.

"You earned it, Bud." replied Harm.

Mac's Office

Mac was busy going over names in her office. She was making notes of those she wouldn't mind taking with her. She was also crossing off the names she didn't want.

She started with Sturgis. He was too cantankerous. He liked doing things his own way and wasn't open to changing the way he did things. Besides, it was probably best for him to stay here.

If he had to play second fiddle he might as well do it to a General rather than a Colonel. She was busy in thought when she heard a knock at her door. It was the Lieutenant. What did he want? He better not want to go to San Diego with her. It wasn't going to happen.

"Colonel, May I talk to you about San Diego." Vic began nervously.

For the last three months he had been trying to figure out a way to connect with Mac. He had used his immense personal charms on her to no avail. He had tried to be like Rambo solving the Indonesian crises.

He had tried to show her how good he was in the courtroom. He had been very charming in his effort to seduce her in San Diego. But no matter how hard he tried it didn't see to be enough. He was beginning to wonder what he had to do to get her respect.

"What about San Diego Lieutenant?" asked Mac as she wondered what he could possibly want. He had just arrived here in Washington several months ago. Washington was where one needed to be if one wanted to advance one's career.

He had been stationed in San Diego before he came to Washington. He supposedly didn't like it there. Why would he want to go back there? If he wanted to make a name for himself, then he should stay here. He did seem very full of himself. Washington would be a good place for him.

"I like being in San Diego. It's sunny and warm. It hardly rains." he replied smugly. Time to use the old charm. What woman could resist his smile.

"No Lieutenant." declared Mac.

"Ma'am, I don't understand. I haven't asked for anything yet." he asked perplexed.

"You heard what I said Lieutenant. I don't want you in my command. I want people I can count on." she replied.

"That's a little cold, Ma'am. You're rejecting me before you even know what I'm going to ask. I feel it would be an honor to serve in your command Ma'am." he argued.

"Sorry, but that's the way it has to be Lieutenant. You're not the type of officer that I want in my organization. You don't respect the law, you don't respect authority, and you don't respect me." replied Mac.

"But I win all my cases, Colonel. I know the law. I was at the top of my class at law school." he continued to argue.

"Well, it's how you're able to win your cases that have me concerned, Lieutenant. You have a knack for finding evidence or witnesses that no one else is aware of. I find it hard not to question whether or not it was done in an ethical manner.

I don't know if the information you gathered is the truth or some elaborate fabrication. I don't trust you Lieutenant. I find it very hard to find a reason to trust you." she explained.

"So I'm being penalized because I make the extra effort to defend my client, Ma'am." snorted Vic angrily.

"It's not the effort or desire that I question Lieutenant, it's the manner in which you go about it that I question. Even the Captain Rabb told me the same thing and he doesn't even know you.

I also talked to the people you worked with before in San Diego, to say I got less than flattering reports about you is an understatement. So it's not just me." replied Mac.

Harm was right, the Lieutenant was like a younger version of Bugme. Not only did he not seem to understand the meaning of the word NO, he thought if he used his charm and argued long enough that she would cave in and succumb to his whims. That wasn't going to happen.

"Is there anything I can say or do to change your mind Ma'am?" he asked. He didn't want to stay in Washington under the command of General Cresswell, a marine.

He didn't understand why she was being such a hard ass about this. He had always thought he was a very nice guy. Everyone liked him especially the ladies. What made the Colonel think so little of him?

Hadn't he given her ample attention? Hadn't he shown her that he like being with her? Why? Why? Why?

"No Lieutenant, my mind is made up. I run a very tight ship. You lack the ability and discipline to exist in my world." Mac replied seriously.

"That's not true Colonel." he argued.

Mac pulled out a folder and opened it. She took out the contents and handed them to Vic.

"These are letters of reprimand that I have given to the General. They are part of your file, but have been place thus that if you keep your nose clean for a year he will have them remove.

If you become part of my command Lieutenant, they will become a permanent part of your file. There will be no one to remove them if you're a good little squid and behave.

You will be lucky to gain promotion to Lieutenant Commander, forget about being promoted to full Commander. Within six months I would shipped your six to Reykjavik, Iceland. Do you still have any questions Lieutenant?"

Vic looked through the letters of reprimand. What he saw there shook him to the bone. He couldn't believe what he was reading. There were four charges, some were present more than once.

1. Dereliction of Duty - Hiring an actor to play the father of a dead marine

2. Disobeying a Direct order - self explanatory

3. Conduct Unbecoming an Officer - making unwanted sexual advances towards a superior officer

4. AWOL/Dereliction of Duty - jumping ship in Indonesia, going to Mexico in the middle of a trial

"I have to go to Parris Island for a few days Ma'am, I'd like to discuss this when I get back and the possibility that you would reconsider taking me to San Diego with you." he told her as if he had a say in the matter.

"Do you ever listen to what people say to you Lieutenant? The decision has been made. You're not going." she stated reinforcing her earlier statement. When was this poor excuse of an officer going to learn?

"If I did that, I would have missed having all the fun I do." he smiled.

"And that's precisely why I don't want you in my command Lieutenant. Goodbye. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out." she ordered.

"Are you going to miss Captain Rabb when you leave Ma'am? I've heard that the two of you were pretty close." smirked Vic as he tried a new approach with Mac.

"You were dismissed Lieutenant. I suggest you move your tail and get back to your duties or you'll find another letter of conduct unbecoming in your file." she informed him.

"Ma'am, I didn't ask how close you two were. I just meant to say it must be tough to leave someone you've known for so many years." he argued.

"That's good Lieutenant, because it's none of your concern." she replied.

"Still ..... it must be difficult after eight, nine years Ma'am." he snickered.

"I have no intention of having this conversation with you Lieutenant. You're dismiss Lieutenant." she once again ordered as she picked up the phone. She entered a code word. A word that alerted the marine guard that she needed them.

"My apologies, Colonel. It's just that I assumed after your experience in Okinawa." he began once again not taking the hint that his presence was no longer wanted.

Mac was writing a short note on her legal pad now. Vukovic didn't know what she was doing. He thought she was trying to pretend that she was busy. But he needed to convince her to take him with her.

He didn't like the idea of working with the General. He was too strange for his liking. You couldn't charm him. Besides he wasn't the Colonel, a beautiful woman he knew he would be able to charm with his immense personality in time.

Eventually he would bed her. He had almost done so last month when they were in San Diego. He knew she had wanted to. She had a history of doing so. He knew she wanted him. He could tell. She was just playing hard to get.

Away from Washington it would be a piece of cake. The knock at her door shook him out of his daydream. He was puzzled to see two marines standing there in the doorway.

"Come in Sergeant. Please escort the Lieutenant to the General's office. He seems to want to have a conversation with him. Here is a note to give to General Cresswell explaining what the Lieutenant wants to talk to him about." ordered Mac. She gave the note to the sergeant.

She dismissed them. The Marine guards led Vukovic to the General's office.

"Petty Officer, we have been ordered to escort the Lieutenant to see the General." the Sergeant informed Jen.

"The General is waiting to see the Lieutenant, Sergeant. Go right in." she replied. Mac had called the General to let him know she was sending the Lieutenant to him.

A minute later Vukovic was standing in front of the General. The General was reading the note Mac had sent with him. As he read the note his face became redder and redder. It wasn't long before he was in Vic's face screaming at him.

If there was one thing he couldn't tolerate, it was disrespect to a senior officer. It had become quite apparent he had been too easy with the young man.

He had thought that all the young man needed was some firm handling to guide his career in the proper direction. Now he saw Vic needed more than a swift boot in his derriere. Maybe a month or more in Reykjavik, Iceland would be a good idea. It might square him away.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: _**Getting it Right**_Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: who else is there

Spoiler: The last couple of shows of season ten

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended.

Summary: Harm and Mac, forever together, never ever apart

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part four Decisions to be made

Cresswell's Office

Jen spent the rest of the day after her talk with Vic thinking about whether or not she should leave JAG Headquarters Washington and follow Colonel MacKenzie to San Diego.

It was a harder decision for her than Vic thought it should be. She was from the greater Washington area. She liked living in the area. It gave her comfort to have that familiarity. She had a lot of friends.

Despite her reputation as a con artist, she was still a person who lost her mother as a young girl. Her personality was still that of a shy girl. It took great effort for her to overcome her shyness especially with people she wasn't familiar with.

She didn't like change or upheavals in her life. It had been very hard for her when she served on the aircraft carrier so far from home. It had been a welcome relief when Lieutenant Roberts, a familiar face, had shown up.

She knocked on the General's door and waited to be called in. She did so when directed. She stopped in front of his desk and handed him her transfer request.

"Do you have a moment sir?" she asked.

"Yes Coates I do, you may take a seat." he replied.

"Sir, I want to start by telling you that I've enjoyed working for you." she began. "I've learned a lot from you Sir."

"Why do you want to go to San Diego, Coates?" he asked.

"I've had the experience of working closely with the Colonel before Sir. I would like the opportunity to do so again Sir." she replied.

"You'll be sorely miss Coates, you've been a great yeoman. You would be a great addition to her staff." he said sincerely.

"Thank you Sir." she blushed.

"Go speak to the Colonel, I'm sure she'll let me know the outcome." he ordered.

"But before you leave Coates I need to talk to you person to person, not as officer to enlisted. I need to ask you a question. It concerns the Colonel. I've sprung this new command on her quite suddenly. Her whole life is going to change." he began.

"Yes Sir." she replied.

"Coates, I need to ask you for your honest opinion about what you think. Do you think Colonel Mackenzie sees this opportunity as the next step in her career or a chance for her to start over?" he asked.

"What do you mean Sir? Are you referring to her professional career or her personal life? If you mean her professional life, it will be the first time in three years she will be working without Captain Rabb. It also will be the first time in nine years that she been somewhere other than Headquarters Sir.

I'm sure she will be able to handle command Sir. She was the Chief of Staff under Admiral Cheggewiggin for five years. She probably would have been the acting JAG Sir when you came aboard if she wasn't undergoing medical treatments. She is well respected by everyone here at Jag Sir.

And from what I've been told by Lieutenant Commander Roberts she was able to rein in Commander Rabb. She has been the only one able to control him. He was a loose cannon before she came on board.

Or are you asking me if she will see this as an opportunity to move on with her personal life Sir? A chance to find happiness with someone other than the Commander, I mean the Captain?

I don't see that she would have much of a choice Sir, you did just put six thousands miles between them." replied Jen looking for clarity.

"I'm referring to her personal life Coates. I'm sure she'll do just fine in command. She's earned the right to advance her career. This will be a wonderful opportunity for her. She should make full Colonel within a year, two at the most.

I'm concerned that she will isolate herself from other people. When you're in a command position it can take up a lot of your time leaving very little time left over for developing personal relationships.

From what I've gathered from the Roberts, she doesn't make friends easily. She tends to be a loner." replied the General.

"I wouldn't believe everything you hear from them Sir. The Colonel has had a few men in her life. She's been married once and almost got married a second time. And everyone who has been here awhile believes that she and the Commander, I mean the Captain have a very special relationship.

If anything it has been that relationship that probably has gotten in the way of them pursuing lasting relationships with other people. The other people have always been jealous of their relationship with each other." she replied.

"So you're saying that they will now be able to get on with their lives. They won't resent the fact that they are being separated?" the General asked.

"Sir, their offices have been next to each other for most of their nine years together. They haven't been able to communicate their feeling to each other in all that time. They're not likely to do it now that you've put eight time zones between them.

I think they will probably miss each other at first, but they will probably move on and find someone else to make them happy and fulfill their lives Sir." Jen replied.

"Good, that will be all Coates. You're dismiss." ordered the General.

Damm, I better come up with a contingency plan in case they decide to screw everything up. From what I've heard Rabb has threaten to resigned on more than one occasion, and when he was called on it, he went ahead and did. He resigned his commission to go after her.

And MacKenzie has a history of going after Rabb whenever he has left her behind. Russia comes to mind particularly. I guess I better call the CNO and SecNav to see what other options they might have available in Europe and California.'

He sighed. He thought this was going to be easy. It still might be, but then again he had a gut feeling that Rabb and MacKenzie weren't going to like being separated. He didn't want to lose either one. They were both very good.

He had tested them both for command. He had put Vukovic with MacKenzie. She was able to handle him. If she could handle him, she could handle anything that was thrown her way.

He also liked Rabb. Rabb had proven time and time again that he would take care of those under his charge. His record was filled with stories of how he risked his life to save individuals and the battle fleet. He was the kind of guy you wanted to lead your men.

JAG Parking Lot

Harm was busy loading his gear into the trunk of his new car. He saw a shadow appear causing him to look up. It was Sturgis. What did he want? wondered Harm

"Harm! I never got a chance to congratulate you on your promotion in the conference room." smiled Sturgis.

"You sound as though you mean it Sturgis." replied Harm a little annoyed.

"Of course I do Harm, why wouldn't I be? This is a great opportunity for you." he replied.

"You're qualified for the position. I'm sure you believe you deserved it. After all the Admiral did choose you to be acting JAG when he retired." argued Harm.

"Well the Admiral was mad at you. We all knew that. I don't think he ever got over you resigning and chasing after Mac." Sturgis began to reply.

"That's not true Sturgis. He understood why I did it. He probably even wished he could have resigned and gone along with me. What ticked him off was I screwed up with Mac. I threw away a relationship with her and let Webb have her." Harm explained.

"He had asked me before I left 'Once you get her, what are you going to do to keep her?' I argued with her and basically accused her of cheating on us. She said there would never be an us. I screwed up big time.

And when we got back I never gave her the chance to talk after everything had cool down. And like she said when we finally did talk, I didn't fight for her, I just gave up like I did in Australia.

I was a sorry excuse of a man. I should have never let Webb have her. Everything would have been okay if I had just been a man."

"I'm sorry Harm, but still Mac should have been the next choice or obvious choice." questioned Sturgis.

"Not many people know this Sturge, but Mac had a medical procedure done, a female thing. She was ordered to take it easy for two months. Add to that Webb led everyone to believe he was dead." explained Harm.

"And as much as I hate to admit it, in his last few days he tried to help out some people under his command who really needed his help. He got Bud his promotion, which should help him stay in long enough to get his twenty.

And you were in a difficult place after the racism charges and Bud's bungling of your case. You needed a lift personally and professionally. His appointment of you as acting JAG showed the board that he had confidence in you." replied Harm.

"Thanks Harm. I know I've been a real ass. Especially how I dealt with your incident in Iraq. I should have known you acted properly. You always have. If anything I should have fought to clear you.

You would have in the same circumstances. You showed everyone that you were the bigger man last month when you were the acting JAG. You trusted my opinion. You didn't hold a grudge." Sturgis sighed in acknowledgement.

"Experience buddy. Holding grudges against people doesn't solve anything, they only make you sick. You can't enjoy life. And in the long run it doesn't change anything. You only come out of it looking like an ass.

Remember one thing Sturgis, just because I didn't like your leadership style, doesn't mean I didn't like the man. You were still my friend." replied Harm as he shook Sturgis's hand.

"Why don't I come over after work and help you pack. I'm sure Mac would have, but she has her own stuff to pack." smiled Sturgis.

For the first time in a long time Sturgis felt good. It was if a heavy dense fog was finally removed from his aura. He was happy.

JAG Elevator

"Hey Bud, you have a minute?" asked Mac as Bud was getting ready to leave for the day.

"No Ma'am. Harriet is waiting for me in the car. She's got the kids. It's close to their dinner time. They get kind of restless if their schedule isn't maintained." replied Bud.

"Let me walk out with you Bud. I'd like you to consider joining me in San Diego as my second in command. I'm going to need a squid. I can't think of anyone I'd rather have than you Bud." offered Mac.

"I'm sorry Ma'am, I appreciate the offer, but the Commander, I mean the Captain has already asked me to join him in London. It's someplace Harriet has always wanted to go Ma'am." replied Bud.

"Have you talked to Harriet? I know going to visit somewhere isn't quite the same as living there with four small kids. The offer is on the table until 1000 hours tomorrow Bud." sighed Mac. She wondered who else she could get.

She was going to miss Harriet and the kids. It was bad enough that she and Harm were going to be separated, but did that mean she had to be separated from her friends too?

"I can't imagine that she'd say no Ma'am, but thanks anyway." he replied.

On the way home Bud decided to tell Harriet the good news. He was very excited. Going to London with Harm was a good career move for him. His career suddenly looked great after a year of uncertainly.

"What were you and the Colonel talking about Bud?" asked Harriet.

"She wanted to know if I wanted to go with her to San Diego." replied Bud.

"Since when has the Navy asked whether or not you want to go anywhere Bud?" asked Harriet.

"Maybe I should start at the beginning Harriet. I can see that you are constipate ... I mean confused. This morning at the weekly meeting the General informed all of us that Colonel MacKenzie was being offered the command of Joint Legal Service Center, Southwest. It's a new command located in San Diego.

Then he informed us that Commander Rabb had been promoted to Captain and that he would be given a command of his own. He's going to be the Force Judge Advocate of Naval Forces Europe.

Captain Rabb wants me to go with him to London to be his chief of staff. Colonel MacKenzie just asked me to go with her to San Diego and be her second in command.

I was just telling her that Captain Rabb asked me go to London. I know how much you wanted to go to London." explained Bud with a goofy smile.

"NO! I'm sorry, that came out wrong. Did you tell the Commander you'd go?" replied a surprised Harriet.

"I didn't tell him that I wouldn't go. I thought you always wanted to see London." explained a very confused Bud.

"That was four babies ago and I'm just surprised Colonel Mackenzie didn't ask you." replied Harriet.

"She just did." offered Bud.

"And you turned her down?" assumed Harriet.

"I told her I've been offered another billet." explained Bud.

"Well, it's your decision." said Harriet, but Bud knew it wasn't.

"You know, when the Captain offered me the job I was just so flattered." Bud tried to explain, but was really talking himself out of going.

"Who wouldn't be. And I'm glad he recognized how valuable you are." replied Harriet as she gave him false praise.

"I got so excited I didn't put enough thought into it. It is a big move, and we love our house, and our kids go to school here. I think we should stay put. Don't you agree?" asked Bud as he told her he wasn't going.

"If that's what you want." replied Harriet. She had told Bud no, but she wanted it to be his decision. She wanted him to come to the conclusion on his own so he wouldn't blame her later on.

"I'll talk to the Captain tomorrow." sighed Bud realizing what a great opportunity he was losing.

He knew Harriet loved him, but sometimes he wondered if she really knew what she wanted out of life. He wondered what was the real reason she didn't want to go to London. She would have him tell everyone that it was his decision, but they all knew that wasn't the case.

She would explain to anyone who asked that it was her concern with his health because he worked too hard and she needed to be his conscience. But in reality it had more to do with her needs than his.

She had given up her career to raise a family. The kids would control her life for the next twenty to twenty five years. Maybe staying here in Washington was her way of maintaining some control of her life.

The only unfortunate part was at the moment she had a lot of friends in the military who still worked here, but that wouldn't always be the case. Half of their friends had moved on in the last few years. They were losing two more in Harm and Mac.

That's not counting the people they would be taking with them who were Harm and Mac's friends and theirs as well. Sooner or later any friends that she had before having Jimmy K would be gone. There would be no one left. What then?

"You have an uncanny knack for always making the right decision." stated Harriet in a condescending tone.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: _**Getting it Right**_Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: who else is there

Spoiler: The last couple of shows of season ten

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended.

Summary: Harm and Mac, forever together, never ever apart

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part five Reflections

Harm's Apartment

Harm sat down on his bed taking a break from packing. He started thinking about the first time he met Mac. He had been pretty depress for some time. He was going away for the week with Diane to discuss their future together before she was killed.

It had been a senseless act. Commander Hobart had been afraid of the repercussions that his inactions would have had on his career. It involved sexual harassment charges against a junior officer.

He couldn't understand why someone would kill another person because he hadn't done his job. If the Commander was afraid to take a reprimand for his inactions, then he shouldn't be in charge of his own ship.

He shouldn't have killed her. She didn't deserve to die because she didn't want the attention of another lieutenant. What surprised him the most after that affair was Meg's decision to move on.

It was a decision he couldn't understand. At the time he wondered why she had done that, but after a few years of reflection he realized that Meg might have developed feelings for him that he wasn't able to reciprocate.

Maybe she had hopes of something more from him like Sarah had from him for nine years. But unlike Sarah, Meg cut her losses when she realized that he was in love with someone else and she wasn't aware of it.

Maybe she realized it was better to move on rather than pine away for something you could never have. It was a good choice on her part. He knew that no matter how long he worked with Meg, he would never think of her as more than a good friend. You either love someone or you don't.

He had always loved Diane on some level even though at times he couldn't do anything about it, especially at the academy. He had loved Sarah from the very he first time that he met her even if he didn't know exactly why he loved her. She saved his life that day.

He didn't understand why the President wanted to present him with a medal. It would have meant something if his friends were there to see it, but they weren't. Besides, if it was worth the attention of the President,

then it should have been given to him months ago not long after he had saved the CAG's six. Obviously it must have been a publicity stunt by slick Willie. It was no wonder why he didn't like the man.

He was walking back to the car through the rose garden with the Admiral when he saw her for the first time. He had thought that somehow Diane had come back to life, that she had come back to him, but it wasn't her. It was a marine by the name of Sarah MacKenzie.

She had stolen his heart that day. His life would never be the same. His life had been renewed. The depression he had been suffering from was gone. Once again he was happy. He knew that someday he would marry her and be happy for the rest of his life.

He didn't realized that there would be as many obstacles in the way of them being together especially one in particular, his own stupidity. His own inability to tell her that he loved her because he was afraid that she didn't love him.

Sure they had to take some time to get to know each other. She had some major issues to work out too, but so did he. The major one was did he love her for who she was or because she looked like Diane.

While people like Bud thought that Diane and Sarah were as different as night and day. In reality they were very much alike. Their personalities were alike as much as they looked like twins. It was uncanny how they both thought the same way.

He wondered why he had waited so long to tell her how he felt about her? Why was he so afraid to tell her? She had let him know on more than one occasion that she was interested in being with him. Why? Why? Why?

Mac's Apartment

Mac was taking a break from packing her stuff. She began thinking back to the day when she believed that she knew she loved Harm. He had taken her flying in his biplane. It had been a wonderful experience until they were forced to land.

He was sharing his love and passion for flying with her. It was a sign to her that he liked her a lot and wanted to be with her. She didn't know if he loved her, but he did enjoy her company.

She knew she had him whipped when he wanted to stay with the plane, but followed her when she wanted to look for help. He had done what she wanted him to do. Despite what he said, it was the right thing to do although things did go wrong.

She had been shot by poachers, but he had managed to keep his thinking straight. He got the rubber fuel line out of the truck and used it to get her to safety. She had to kill a man in self defense. She was surprised the effect of killing someone had on her.

She was a marine, ready for combat, but she suffered a temporary breakdown after she killed the poacher. Harm had told her that it wasn't easy to kill someone. He knew many men who had difficulty after killing someone for the first time.

He got her through it. He held her as she slept in his arms. He got her to a hospital. It was a long time before they went flying again. She used the excuse of getting shot, but she knew it wasn't the only time she ever got hurt. But every time she did, she survived.

But it had helped her later when they were in Panama and Paraguay. It also gave her confidence when they traveled in Russia looking for his father and when they traveled across Afghanistan looking for a truck loaded with nuclear material.

Somehow she felt safe whenever she went anywhere with Harm. She knew he would take care of her. They would be able to get the job done. He had never failed her in nine years.

They all said she was able to control Harm, that he was a loose cannon before she met him. She didn't know if any of that was true. The only one who could control Harm Rabb was Harm himself. He wasn't as bad as people made him out to be.

He was just a passionate person who believed in the truth. He believed in taking care of his friends. He was never one who looked for attention or the glory that was associated with it. He just did his job the best he could. He did what was necessary.

She couldn't stop him from going to Russia. She couldn't stop him from returning to the fleet when he decided to fly again. She couldn't stop him when he wanted to go after his brother when he went missing. She couldn't stop him from going after her when she went missing.

Harm's apartment

He thought about why he was so afraid that Sarah didn't love him. She had shown him several times that she loved him and wanted to be with him. She went with him to Russia to find out about his father.

Whenever obstacles were thrown in their way Sarah was there, there was no quit in her. Many others would have packed it in, given up, but not his marine. She was always there when he needed her.

At the time he left JAG to return to the fleet he didn't understand why she was in tears when she said goodbye. He had thought that it was a female thing, that is, saying goodbye can be very emotional time for them.

While he was on the Patrick Henry he had plenty of time to think about their last month together before he left. Three things she said to him came to mind. First one was when he had laser surgery.

He was supposed to tell her about it as if she was his wife. His wife? They were on the Watertown and were fighting. She mentioned something about the honeymoon being over and that they should talk about it.

He, of course, thought the idea was ridiculous and said so. I'm not going there Mac, we're not married. She had been pissed at him when he said that. She didn't say anything to him until the run in with the CMO who almost killed her.

They stopped fighting over the little things. He listened to her more or at least he tried to. He wasn't always successful.

Then again she mentioned to him right before Chloe left to live with her grandparents that everyone she loved was leaving her. He didn't understand at the time, but that she meant he was leaving her too.

Of course his biggest screw up was in Australia, the land down under, when she asked him if they could finally be together as a couple and he said not yet. He broke her heart that night. He could see the look of disappointment in her eyes,

but he couldn't do anything. He was frozen in ability to think. It was the most stupid moronic decision he had ever made and it cost him almost two years of agony and heartache.

He almost lost her again because he shut her out instead of telling her what was going on. He didn't tell her that he thought Sergei was the father of Loren's baby. He was almost convicted of her murder because of it.

He was too stubborn to say anything to anyone, especially Mac. He wanted to protect his brother even when his brother and Loren had told him he wasn't the father of Loren's baby. Why didn't he ever listen to her and always assumed she was wrong.

That of course let Webb move in on Mac. If he hadn't been in the brig he would have been the one that went to Paraguay with Mac instead of Webb. The mission wouldn't have failed. He wouldn't have had to resign his commission to rescue her.

He wouldn't have had a reason to be jealous of Webb and put his foot in his mouth and insulted the woman he loved. He still didn't understand why he didn't fight for her. For some reason he never did. He didn't understand why.

Why did he take for granted that she would always be there waiting for him until he was ready? Hadn't the two years of heartache that he suffered with her being with Bugme and almost marrying him taught him anything?

He had to be the biggest moron in the world for not marrying her when they return from Russia. He loved her. She had shown that she loved him. What was wrong with him?

Mac's apartment

Mac began to think about the last time Harm had shown her that he loved her. He had resigned his commission to come after her. He had arrived at the moment she needed him the most. He had save her and Webb.

They had completed the mission as was their MO. They had their mishap and survived. They had worked together to get back to civilization. They were together once more in the perfect place. He had told her that she was beautiful.

But why didn't he want to tell her that he resigned his commission to rescue her? Did he think she would think less of him? She loved him, he loved her, why couldn't he just admit it to her?

She had said to him "You resign your commission and travel 5000 miles to find me and damn near get yourself killed. Well riddle me this, flyboy, why?" She thought that they would finally be together, maybe spend the night making love.

Everything was perfect until Webb showed up. Why was he jealous of Webb? Was he that insecure of their relationship that he thought that she would fall in love with Webb in a couple of weeks after knowing him for seven years?


	6. Chapter 6

Title: _**Getting it Right**_Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: who else is there

Spoiler: The last couple of shows of season ten

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended.

Summary: Harm and Mac, forever together, never ever apart

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part six Are you sure

Locanda Loma Restaurant

Harriet wanted to see Mac before she left for San Diego. She was going to miss her. Mac was her best friend and the person responsible for her and Bud being together. She was also the God mother to all her children.

She wanted to thank Mac for being her friend for so many years. Mac had helped her grow as a person. She allowed her to make mistakes so she could grow as an officer and a leader with the office staff.

"Thank you for having lunch with me Ma'am. I know how busy you must be. You only have a few days to pack and choose the people you want to go with you." greeted Harriet. She didn't know how she was going to deal with not seeing Mac anymore.

"Come on Harriet, you and Bud are among my oldest friends." replied Mac. Why wouldn't she make time to see a good friend before she left?

"It's going to be hard not seeing you." sighed Harriet. "What am I going to do?"

"Well, you're going to enjoy London." replied Mac. She wished they were going to San Diego with her. It would help in the transition to a new command.

"Oh, no. We're not going to London." corrected Harriet.

"You said no?" asked Mac.

She was surprised. Harriet had always sucked up to the senior officers to advance Bud's career. She had learned that skill very well from her mother. Harm always said Harriet was her mother daughter.

"Well, Bud made the decision." fudged Harriet.

"You mean somehow you made him think it was his decision." corrected Mac.

"Like most men, sooner or later he came to the right choice." argued Harriet.

"Not all men do. Did Bud tell you I asked him to go to San Diego?" asked Mac. If she didn't want to go to London, maybe she would come to San Diego with her thought Mac hopefully.

"Well yes." hedged Harriet.

"And what did you decide?" asked Mac sensing that Harriet didn't like that idea either.

"It's better than London, but I'm sorry, we can't." replied Harriet. She felt like crying. She was going to miss her best friend.

"Is it because you have a life here." asked Mac.

"It's more than that. Bud still needs to be monitored. He overdoes it at times. Bethesda is one of the best hospitals in the world." explained Harriet.

"Balboa Hospital is just as good." argued Mac.

"Maybe, but the doctors know him here and we know them. I just trust them." explained Harriet.

"I understand. Sometimes I forget about Bud's leg." acknowledged Mac.

"So does he, and when he pushes too hard, he takes on more than he should." wailed Harriet.

"I've never heard him complain." replied Mac.

"You never will Ma'am. I have to be his conscience sometimes. I think he feels good knowing that I'm there for him." continued Harriet.

"I think he's lucky to have you." sighed Mac. She wished she had someone in her life that worried about her like that.

"I do think you're making a mistake though Harriet. The Admiral pulled in a lot of favors to get Bud promoted to Lieutenant Commander. Not every CO would do that for a junior officer with his disability. He has a second chance for a good career.

If he took either position with Harm or myself he could be looking at Commander in three or four years, maybe even make captain some day. If he stays here he might never be promoted. You know he's not exactly one of the General's favorites.

If there was one thing that was common about changes in command, it's that those who are in good with the current CO with undoubtedly fall out of favor with the next one. They usually have to wait until the next change in command to benefit.

The Admiral was here for eight years before there was a change in command. Bud can't wait that long, too many people will have pass him by. They probably won't even be allow to get his twenty in especially if he turns down too many transfers that would benefit his career.

They're not going to let someone stay in one place his whole career.

Whereas being in a deputy position whether in Harm's command or in mine will continue the push in his career that the Admiral gave him last year." explained Mac.

"I don't know Ma'am. He will still be here at headquarters. That has to count for something." wailed Harriet.

"Being at one location too long can hurt one's career Harriet, it can show a lack of initiative. He's already been here over eight years Harriet. He doesn't have Harm's name recognition or reputation." argued Mac.

"So, you're looking forward to San Diego?" asked Harriet changing the subject.

"I can't wait for the new challenge. It has been a long time since I've been in the company of Marines. That in itself will be good. Of course trying to get Marines and Squids to play nice and share the sandbox will be a nice challenge." replied Mac.

"Minus one certain squid." chuckled Harriet.

"If you mean the lieutenant, then yes. I don't need his kind around." agreed Mac.

"I wish I had your confident approach to life." whined Harriet. If she had, maybe she wouldn't have had four kids right now. She would be earning her keep.

"I wish I had your life. You have a good husband and four wonderful kids. It's something I've wanted since AJ was born." moaned Mac.

"Yeah, they're great and I guess it has its charms. I know what I'm going to be doing for the next 20 years." sighed Harriet.

"I don't know what I'm going to be doing 20 minutes from now." sighed Mac.

"Doesn't that bother you?" asked Harriet.

"Sometimes, but most of the time I find it exhilarating. Then again that was when I had Harm in my life. I'm looking forward to whatever life throws at me." replied Mac.

"You're amazing. I don't think I would want to live without Bud in my life. The last time he wasn't in my life he almost died." wailed Harriet.

Mac had to ponder the meaning of that statement. Several times over the years Harm had been out of her life. It hadn't been very pleasant. They had gotten pretty close again in the last six months.

She thought that maybe before this turn of events that they might be ready to get married and have children together whether their own or not. What now? Was it possible that they could have something six thousand miles apart?

JAG Headquarters, Courtyard

Cadet Roberts had come to Headquarters to visit his brother. He had fallen in love again and was wondering what he could do this time to make it last. Bud had met Harriet on a carrier and six months later they were together.

It wasn't long after that they were married. He would be able to tell him what to do and how to have a successful relationship with a woman he loved.

"Good afternoon Captain Rabb." greeted Mike.

"Good afternoon Mister Roberts." smiled Harm. He wondered what was wrong. The cadet had one of those brain aneurysm looks on his face like Bud would get when he didn't understand something.

"May I join you sir? Unless you're waiting for someone." asked Mike.

"I'm on my own today cadet, take a seat." smiled Harm. It must be something serious if he wanted to talk to him. Hopefully he hadn't done something stupid and gotten himself in trouble again.

"Thank you Sir. You aren't too busy Sir? asked Mike.

"Not at the moment cadet, I'm just dividing up some of my case files. What's on your mind?" asked Harm. It must be something serious.

"Have you ever been in love? asked Mike.

"If you're looking for relationship advice Mike, you should talk to your brother. He's the only one I know who's in a successful relationship." replied Harm. He had screwed up everyone he ever had.

"I've tried that sir, but he doesn't want to talk to me about it. replied Mike.

"Why not? I thought he always listens to your problems." replied Harm.

"Not this time Sir, it concerns General Cresswell's daughter." explained Mike.

"Have you lost your mind cadet?" asked Harm disbelievingly.

What was he doing messing around with a General's daughter. He was at the academy to get an education, to meet the right people. He wasn't there to get into some young lady's pants. You didn't want to draw the attention of the wrong people while you were there.

"So I've been told Sir." replied Mike sullenly.

"Does she know how you feel about her?" asked Harm. He looks so pitiful.

"I haven't talked to her about it Sir." replied Mike.

"I been told that it helps cadet. Does she feel the same way about you?" asked Harm. Mac tried to tell him that more than a few times.

"I think she likes me, at least a little Sir." replied Mike. Please help me, please.

"Well, here's my advice to you cadet. You should have a talk with her. Explain to her how you feel. The worse thing she can say is she doesn't share your feelings and you're not any worse off than you are now.

If you're lucky it might make her think about how she feels about you. She might even feel the same way about you." encouraged Harm.

"Thank you for the advice Sir." replied Mike. "Good luck, Captain."

"You too." smiled Harm. You're going to need it if you get involved with the General's daughter.

After Mike left, Harm's mind began to wander. He needed to tell Mac how he felt about her, that he wanted to be with her. He had been in love with her for so long. He had been with her in one way or another for so long.

He loved being with her. Nothing good ever happened in his life when he wasn't with her. He needed to talk to her tonight about what they wanted and not what was best for the navy or marines.

JAG Headquarters

After his talk with Harm, Mike Roberts decided to go inside and talk with Bud again. While the Commander had given him good advice he was right about one thing, Bud knew what it took to have a successful relationship.

Bud had worked through his difficulties with Harriet and had gotten her to married him. Whereas he knew from Harriet that the Commander and the Colonel had spent nine years together and were no closer to getting married today than they were when they first met.

He was walking along the corridor from the elevator to Bud's office when he bump into General Cresswell almost knocking him to the floor not far from Bud's office. He hadn't been paying attention. He had been daydreaming about Cameron Cresswell, the General's daughter.

"My apologies, Sir. I wasn't looking where I was going Sir." stuttered Mike as he realized how stupid he had been and who he had run into.

"Cadet Roberts, I understand you had a little disagreement with my daughter not too long ago." began the General.

He had been hearing reports from the academy that his daughter was having problems dealing with a certain cadet. Now was as good a time to find out what was going on.

The last thing he wanted was his daughter ending up with someone like Mr. Roberts. He had developed a reputation of being a screw up. Something always went wrong when he was around.

"We worked it out, Sir." replied Mike. He had learned a long time ago from Bud that you don't volunteer information. He also didn't want to get Cameron into any trouble with her father.

"Exactly what did you work out?" demanded the General. He hated flippant remarks from insubordinate people that he didn't know. It was a sign that they were trying to hide something or were lying.

"Her interpretations of the rules of paintball were different than mine, Sir." Replied Mike.

He hated being interrogated by lawyers. They were always thinking two steps ahead of the question that they were asking. Their questions usually led in a particular direction that he didn't want to go.

"Were you right in your interpretation cadet?" asked the General. He was looking for honesty from the cadet. He didn't want him to be covering up for his daughter to curry favor from him.

"Yes, I was Sir. But Cameron, your daughter, that is Cadet Cresswell made a very good case for her interpretation of the rules. She has the makings to be a great lawyer, Sir." brown nosed Mike.

"Why do you think that? asked the General. He could tell that Roberts was covering up for Cameron. He was fudging the truth to get on his good side. Why? What was he up to? What had she done?

"She has a way of interpreting the rules to her advantage Sir, kind of bending the facts." replied Mike as he continued to brown nose.

"I see. When it comes to my daughter I have my own set of rules cadet, my own Rules of Engagement with my daughter. You get my meaning, cadet?" asked the General.

"Yes sir, I believe so Sir." moaned Mike. Why was he getting involved with relationship with Cameron? Didn't he have enough to do without interfering in his life?

"Do you cadet? I don't think you do. I have been receiving reports from the academy that you have been associating with my daughter on a regular basis. Each time you have associated with my daughter there have been conflicts. She's a first year cadet, you're a third year cadet Mr. Roberts.

You have no reasons to be associating with her at all. The academy isn't a dating service for the lovelorn where you have choices of whom you want to romance. You are there to learn how to become an officer in the US Navy, not to find yourself a wife.

In the future if you see my daughter coming in your direction you will turn around and walk the other way. You will not talk to her, you will not look at her, or do anything with her. Have I made myself clear Mr. Roberts?" bellowed the General.

"Yes Sir." whined Mike.

After the General walked away Bud opened the door to his office. He had seen Mike talking to the General. Well that wasn't exactly true. The General was doing most of the talking and Mike was standing there doing the listening.

Well as much as Mike was capable of listening. Nothing good could have come with Mike talking to the General. What had Mike done wrong now?

"What were you talking to the General about?" asked Bud. He hoped that all Mike said was yes Sir, no Sir.

"Cameron, his daughter." replied Mike sullenly as Bud steered him into his office and closed the door.

"Are you crazy Mike? The General is my CO and you're messing around with his daughter? You know how he can be. I had to go through Anger management classes because you." asked Bud shaking his head in disbelief. When was his brother ever going to learn to control his yearnings.

"It's not about you, Bud. I'm not messing around with his daughter, okay? I just happen to be in love with her." sighed Mike. He was feeling a little melancholy after his talk with the General.

"No, you're not Mike. You don't even know what love is. You're just lonely." argued Bud.

Why was this happening? It was bad enough that Harriet didn't want him to go with the Captain to London or to San Diego with the Colonel, did he have to have his future further stunted by Mike's insane actions.

"Yes, I am." argued Mike. Why didn't Bud ever believe him?

"Well, you better fall out of love!" yelled Bud. He felt like whacking him across the back of his head like big Bud used to do to him. He was beginning to understand his father's actions better now that he was older and was a father himself.

"Cameron and I have been spending a lot of time together. I'm as serious as I can be under the restrictions in place." explained Mike.

"You've been given a great opportunity here Mike to get a very good education, one that many people don't think you deserve after some of the stunts you've pull. You're not at the academy to find your soul mate.

You're there to get on with the next part of your life. If you want to have a career in the Navy, you will stay away from General's daughter until you have something to offer, otherwise you'll end up in every cesspool assignment imaginable starting with Reykjavik, Iceland." counseled Bud.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: _**Getting it Right**_Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: who else is there

Spoiler: The last couple of shows of season ten

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended.

Summary: Harm and Mac, forever together, never ever apart

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part seven Time to be together

Mac's Apartment

Mac was finishing up what was left of her stuff to pack when she heard a knock at the door. It must be Harm she thought. She hoped he brought some dinner with him. She was hungry.

"I need some advice." began Harm as walked into her apartment. He had indeed brought dinner with him from their favorite Italian place.

"Good, because I need yours. I see you brought dinner, I'm starved." smiled Mac.

"I always know when my Marine is hungry. What are you doing about the lease on your apartment?" asked Harm.

"Is that what you want to talk about, real estate?" asked a confused Mac.

"Yeah." replied Harm.

"I'm subletting. You remember Varese." replied Mac.

"I think so, wasn't she the woman Turner was dating last year." replied Harm. He never knew Sturgis to date someone more than six months. He was with Bobby the longest. Sturgis could be too anal retentive for his own good.

"I guess they still are dating. Who would have guessed it? Anyway, she's going to be in town for a few months, she wants to see how it goes with Sturgis." smiled Mac.

"What about her career? I thought she was touring the mid west." asked Harm.

"I guess she found a place in town to sing at five nights a week. She sort of the house Chanteuse. So, what are you doing about your apartment?" replied Mac.

"I offered it to Jen, but she's not interested in staying in the building." replied Harm.

"Yeah, the neighborhood never seems the same once your neighbor tries to kill you. Have you talked to Mattie about London?" asked Mac.

"Yeah, She was the first person I call after the meeting." replied Harm.

"Did she tell you to go?" asked Mac. She knew Harm was trying to get custody of her. She knew he didn't want to leave Washington before he did.

"Yes, I told her I wasn't going anywhere without her. We're still waiting for the Juvenile Court to rule on it however her father is not contesting it, so." replied Harm.

"You're a good Dad." smiled Mac wishing that she was going with him.

"What about your cases, who's getting them?"

"I'll give them to Bud, let him make his choice on which ones he wants." sighed Harm.

"He finally told you he's not going?" chuckled Mac.

"You know, once Harriet makes his mind up that's pretty much it. It's too bad too." sighed Harm. "It could have been a great boost to his career. Now? He's going to take a big hit. He might not get another chance."

"You don't know that Harm. He might get another chance someday." argued Mac.

"Not likely Mac. He's not a favorite of the General like he was with the Admiral. He already thinks Bud had anger issues. The fact that he's not taking advantage of this opportunity makes him look weak in the General's eyes." explained Harm.

"It's not his fault, Harriet doesn't want to leave Washington." argued Mac.

"Don't say that to the General, it will make him look even weaker. He wants strong leaders who are willing to take charge. Bud has never once done that in his career.

This was an opportunity to show the General and the CNO that he can take charge and lead. If he gets another chance it won't be from the General." explained Harm.

Harm walked over to Mac's desk and saw a sheet of paper with names on it. "Ooh, LT Wilson, PO Lyons, Ensign..."

"You mind?" said Mac taking the paper from him.

"Funny, I didn't see Vukovic's name there." smiled Harm.

"I don't want him. You could take him to London with you." grinned Mac.

"I wouldn't dismiss him out of hand Mac, he did a fair job on the case we worked on together, might come in handy." argued Harm.

"That's odd coming from you." replied Mac.

"You need someone to give the crappy cases to Mac?" informed Harm.

Harm's Apartment

next day

Mac had completed packing her stuff. She didn't want to hang around her apartment by herself. There would be plenty of time for that soon enough. She decided to go see Harm and spend as much time as she could with him before they left.

"So, are you ready for this?" asked Mac.

"I don't know. On one hand I'm happy that I made Captain. After I resigned my commission and went after you in Paraguay I didn't think I would ever make Captain. I'm not sure about being in command though.

I like being in the courtroom and conducting investigations. I don't really like the paperwork part of the job you know. What about you? Are you ready to have your own command?" asked Harm.

"Well, I've been dreading it for a while but now that it's here it doesn't seem so bad. You know, just taking it one day at a time. I don't know about leaving you though. I've kind of gotten used to having you in my life sailor." replied Mac.

"What were you thinking about Harm?" asked Mac.

"I was thinking about our trip down under and all the time we wasted because I couldn't let go of the past and move on to be with you." replied Harm as he remembered

Flashback to the ferry.

"You know, they wrote eternity on this bridge, in lights, on New Year's Eve." said Harm looking for something to say.

"Is that how long we're going to wait to be together?" asked Mac.

"Mac ..... " whined Harm.

"We're not in Washington, we're not even on the same continent." pleaded Mac.

"I know, but location doesn't change who we are." replied Harm.

"I don't understand Harm I know you want to be with me." wailed Mac with tears in her eyes.

"I don't understand why either. I'm still mourning my father. I'm still having trouble dealing with not flying anymore. I'm not sure that I can give you what you want Sarah." sighed Harm in realization that he was letting her down.

"You're just this way with me, aren't you?" asked Mac.

"Yeah, only with you. I'm sorry." replied Harm


	8. Chapter 8

Title: _**Getting it Right**_Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: who else is there

Spoiler: The last couple of shows of season ten

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended.

Summary: Harm and Mac, forever together, never ever apart

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part eight

Back to Reality

"I've given you opportunities to make your case. At my engagement party I said that it could have been ours." offered Mac.

"And I kissed you." replied Harm.

"You were saying goodbye. You didn't tell me not to marry him." argued Mac.

"I did say we had three more years to run on our baby deal." smiled Harm not conceding anything.

"That wasn't the right thing to say when I was marrying another man Harm." corrected Mac.

"I went after you when you were missing in Paraguay. I told you how beautiful you were." offered Harm. He wanted to show her that he hadn't given up.

"That was when you should have kissed me instead of talking. I was kind of expecting that we would have been spending the night making love and not talking about Webb." replied Mac.

"You're right Sarah, I went there to tell you that I loved you and instead I screwed up once again. I'm sorry." sighed Harm.

"Yeah, I know Harm, we've both been guilty of screwing it up the last few years." agreed Mac.

"I don't think that I will ever feel about anyone else the way that I feel about you." moaned Harm as he took her into his arms.

"That's very flattering Harm, but I don't think you should share that with your wife, whoever that might be, she might not understand." sighed Mac.

"Do you understand? Because I surely don't." cursed Harm.

"Why we couldn't make it work? Why we let fate decide our futures? No, I don't either. I guess we were just afraid that the other didn't feel the same way." replied Mac.

"Let me ask you a personal question. With all the men in your life, what was it about them that attracted you?" asked Harm.

"They all wanted me, and they let me know it." replied Mac.

"I wanted you. You knew that." argued Harm.

"Did you? Harm, no woman wants to be a mind reader, and with you there were always complications, another woman, work, searching for your missing father." sighed Mac wondering why they couldn't have had this conversation years ago.

"Mac, we have 12 hours." informed Harm.

"We've had 9 years." argued Mac. What was it that he really wanted. Did he really want to be with her?

"I guess maybe I just needed a deadline." shrugged Harm.

"Well, you got one, sailor." smiled Mac as they kissed.

"What are you proposing, and that's not a Freudian slip." asked Mac. She enjoyed the feelings of Harm's arms around her.

"I'm proposing. That we get married." replied Harm as he kissed her again with a little more passion.

"In London?" asked Mac looking up to see if he was serious.

"Yeah, London works for me." smiled Harm.

"San Diego works for me." argued Mac. She didn't want to cave in too easily.

"We could get married in the middle, say Annapolis." suggested Harm.

"If we get married, one of us will have to give up their careers." reasoned Mac.

"Well, we could wait until I retire." teased Harm.

"Yeah, what's another decade after we've already waited nine years?" sighed Mac."

"I love you, Mac. But I don't want to give up my career and you don't want to give up yours." moaned Harm.

"So we're right back where we started." wailed Mac.

"Do you believe in fate?" asked Harm.

"It did put us together." replied Mac.

"Fate could keep us together forever." smiled Harm as he kissed her again.

They went into the bedroom and made love for the next couple of hours. They still had some time to make their final decision, but for now they wanted to take care of nine years of unrequited desire.

A few hours later they called Bud, Jen, and Sturgis and asked them to join them at McMurphy's Tavern to say their final goodbyes.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: _**Getting it Right**_Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: who else is there

Spoiler: The last couple of shows of season ten

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended.

Summary: Harm and Mac, forever together, never ever apart

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part nine Getting it right

McMurphy's Tavern

Harm walked up to the bar in his Mess dress uniform. He was there to meet Mac. She hadn't gotten there yet. They were going to tell their friends that they were getting married and that they weren't sure if they were going to London or San Diego.

London was the best place for him and his career. He would be a captain there. There probably wouldn't be another captain's billet waiting for him in San Diego though his mother would probably welcome the transfer. But his new position would surely lead to him becoming the JAG someday.

San Diego would be a great place for Mac. She would make full Colonel two years sooner than if she went somewhere else, but she was still young enough to wait for another command of her own.

Besides, if she was in a command position, would it help their endeavors to have a child of their own. She would be under more stress if she was in command. It wouldn't make getting pregnant any easier. He didn't know what he wanted them to do, but it had to be fair for both of them

"What can I get for you Sir?" asked the bartender as he approached the bar.

"I'll have a draft please." replied Harm. He couldn't believe what was happening.

"What put that smile on your face?" asked the cute bartender. What I wouldn't do to have a gorgeous hunk like him she thought.

"I just got engaged. That is I think I did." replied Harm. He was still a little stunned that he had asked her to marry him and she had said yes.

"Don't you think you ought to find out?" asked the bartender.

"That's kind of why I'm here." smiled Harm as he saw Mac walking into the bar and over to him. She looked hotter than any woman had the right to in her red hip hugging dress with a slit in the side exposing her long beautiful leg.

"Hi Harm." greeted Mac before kissing him sweetly.

"It figures a great looking guy like him would be with a beautiful lady like you." smiled the bartender.

"We're working out the logistics." smiled Mac.

"That's right, you're the fiancee to be." sighed the bartender.

"That's one of the things we're working on." smiled Mac.

"I don't see a ring." observed the bartender.

"We're negotiating that." smiled Mac.

"You're very lucky ma'am." commented the bartender.

"Yeah, lucky me." smiled Mac.

Bud, Harriet, Coates, and Sturgis entered the bar. Harm had called them and asked them to join him for a goodbye drink. It was the last night they were in town. They didn't know if they would be back again any time soon.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice Bud." greeted Harm.

"You're kidding! We wouldn't have missed it for the world. Sir." replied Bud.

Harm and Mac shared greetings and hugs with Jen, Sturgis, Bud and Harriet.

"Hey, everyone is here." greeted Mac.

"What's everyone drinking?" asked Harm since he was buying.

"Joanna, a Bloody Mary and a Martini please?" ordered Harm.

"So why did you invite us all here?" asked Sturgis. He was surprised to see Harm in his dress mess and Mac was dressed to kill in her red dress.

"All in good time buddy, we're waiting for the General. We have some news to share with all of you." replied Harm.

Ten minutes later the General entered the bar. He was short of wind as he had hurried from headquarters to assist Jen. She had called him saying she had a flat tire.

"What are you doing in here Coates imbibing in liquid refreshments when you were supposed to be waiting out front for me? My wife is going to have a fit because I'm late. I thought you needed my help with a flat tire." he bellowed.

"I met Commander Turner as he was coming into the bar Sir. He helped me out with the tire. I was about to give you a call when I saw Lieutenant Roberts and his wife. I stopped in to say hello when the Captain offered to buy me a drink Sir." rambled Jen.

"I wasn't born yesterday Coates. That's a fish story if I ever heard one. Did you have a flat tire?" he asked.

"No Sir, Captain Rabb ordered me to get you here sir, any way I could, so I lied. I didn't think you would abandon a damsel in distress Sir. And Sir this celebration wouldn't be the same without you." she replied.

He noticed that the Captain was in his dress mess and the Colonel was dressed to kill in a beautiful red dress that let you know that she was all woman. She was draped on Harm's arm or had she become a part of him. He couldn't tell which, but he had his suspicions.

"What's this all about Rabb?" he asked impatiently. He needed to get home to his wife. He wondered if his worse fears were about to come true.

"What are you drinking, General?" Harm asked trying to defuse the situation.

"A very dry Martini, thanks Captain. I understand Colonel that you're taking my yeoman to San Diego with you." he inquired.

"I would love to take her with me Sir, she's an excellent yeoman. But that hasn't been determined yet. In fact Harm and I have some news that we want to share with everyone first." replied Mac.

"Well first thing is, the Colonel may not be going to San Diego." began Harm before he was interrupted by the General.

"You're not thinking of turning down this assignment Colonel? It took a lot of effort from a few people to set up that command. I had to pull a few strings along with your former CO to get you the top billet." he replied looking annoyed.

"Harm and I haven't gotten that far in our negotiations Sir." replied Mac as she snuggled in closer to Harm causing Harriet and Jen to sigh and wonder after all this time had they finally decided to become a couple.

Harm stood up and pulled Mac up with him. He wrapped an arm around her as she wrapped both of hers around him. Everyone stood there with dumbfounded look on their faces. They all had suspected, but had never seen such intimacy between them before.

"Mac and I have an announcement to make. We're getting married." he smiled his famous flyboy smile.

"In either London or San Diego." added Mac smiling and hugging Harm even closer.

"We have decided that for this marriage to be successful, one of us has to resign our commission." continued Harm.

"And we hadn't decided which one before we came here. But during the trip here from my apartment I came to the conclusion that I'm going to reserve my commission." added Mac dropping the bombshell.

"No Mac, this is a decision we should make together." Harm argued.

"Harm, it's okay really. We want to have a child together. We've gone through all the literature. Our best chances are for me to have a stress free environment. Commanding a bunch of squids and jarheads fighting is not conducive to a stress free environment.

Besides I've already had two squids give up their careers for me. It's my turn now. I love you Harm." she replied before giving him a kiss that became more passionate.

"Congratulations, it's turning into quite a special night." observed Bud.

"Will you help me pick out a dress?" Mac whispered to Harriet.

Now it was the General's turn to speak. Like any good CO or as Rabb was known to say, be prepare for any and all possibilities. He thought that this might happen especially after his talk with Coates and she said it wasn't happening.

While two younger officers might have gone their separate ways to further their careers, older officers were more likely to find a way to stay together, especially two officers who had gone through reportedly what they had gone through over nine years and were still together.

"That might not be necessary Colonel. While I believe that offering you both your own command was in the best interest of the Navy and Marine Corp, there was always the chance that one of you might resign your commission.

Admiral Cheggewidden warned me that separating the two of you was an improbable mission to undertake. It would take an act of God to make it happen if it was truly possible. He thought that a contingency plan should be in place in case one of you balked.

Since that appears to have happen I guess I should tell you Colonel what the alternative plan we have for you. Since you possess certain language skills that have been deemed highly useful in the war against terrorism, they have a position in the Military Intelligence Unit based in London.

The position is yours Colonel if you want it. However, in return we would like you take the Joint Legal Service Center, Southwest Command for three months while we find a replacement for you.

While some members of the CNO staff and advisors thought the possibility of you not accepting the command was a possibility, they didn't think it was very likely. They have been cultivating you for this command for the last five years.

Your work with Commander Rabb and other Navy personnel shows that the Navy and the Marines can work together. They thought that you were the perfect candidate. They didn't even examine would else was a possible alternative." informed the General.

"I don't know Sir. Everything has been happening so quickly Sir. First the announcement of my new orders, then the talk with Harm about what we wanted and the decision to resign. Now you're offering me something else that affects not only me, but Harm too Sir.

I don't think I can give you an answer tonight until I have had a chance to talk with Harm. Even if I decide to accept your offer Sir, there will have to be reassurance in writing that I would only be there in San Diego for three month whether or not the Navy has found a replacement for me.

Harm and I have made a decision to move our relationship to another level. We have made our plans for the next five to ten years. We intend follow through on those plans and to be together Sir." replied Mac.

"I think that can be arranged Colonel. It is a reasonable request. And once again congratulations to the both of you." replied the General.

The End


End file.
